BIP-110 Fork Gains Minimal Traction as Bitcoin Main Chain Retains 99.85% of Hashpower
Key Takeaways
- •The BIP-110 fork activated on August 8 with a 55% mining threshold, well below the 95% level typically used for Bitcoin protocol upgrades.
- •Bitcoin's main chain retained approximately 99.85% of network hashpower, while the BIP-110 minority branch secured only about 0.15% and mined just two blocks.
- •BIP Editor Murch publicly recommended removing Luke Dashjr from the BIP Editors, alleging he helped create and implement the proposal before broad community discussion.
- •The proposal sought to limit non-monetary data inscriptions including Ordinals, BRC-20 tokens, and Runes from Bitcoin transactions.
- •Regular Bitcoin holders experienced no disruption, and the main chain continued operating normally throughout the fork event.
Bitcoin's main chain has retained approximately 99.85% of the network's total hashpower following the activation of the BIP-110 fork on August 8, leaving the minority branch with roughly 0.15% of mining power.
According to Strategy chairman Michael Saylor, the BIP-110 chain has mined only two blocks and fallen more than 80 blocks behind the main chain. (Source)
Limited Mining Support for BIP-110
Saylor estimated that at its current hashpower share of about 0.15%, the BIP-110 minority branch would need approximately 25 years to reach its next difficulty adjustment.
The BIP-110 proposal sought to impose temporary limits on non-monetary data embedded in Bitcoin transactions. The debate centered on Ordinals, BRC-20 tokens, Runes, and other large data inscriptions, according to Tangem. Supporters contended that such data increases blockchain size and raises costs for full-node operators, while also competing with regular payments for limited block space.
Despite these arguments, major mining pools declined to support the fork. Nodes running BIP-110 software continued on a separate minority chain, underscoring how Bitcoin protocol changes still depend on broad coordination across miners, node operators, and the wider development process.
BIP Editor Calls for Luke Dashjr's Removal
The dispute extended beyond mining into Bitcoin's governance process. Bitcoin BIP Editor Murch raised concerns about how BIP-110 was developed and recommended removing Luke Dashjr from the BIP Editors, as reported by Wu Blockchain. (Source)
Murch alleged that Dashjr helped create and implement BIP-110 before the proposal received broad discussion on the Bitcoin mailing list. He also cited a related pull request that was merged shortly after it was opened. Furthermore, Murch stated that communication between Dashjr and other BIP Editors had broken down.
Industry Figures Weigh In
Kraken marketing head Dan Held described BIP-110 as a waste of developer time and criticized supporters for their approach toward miners, businesses, and other Bitcoin participants. Held drew comparisons to the Bitcoin Cash split from roughly a decade ago, noting that BIP-110 supporters had failed to gain broad acceptance across the Bitcoin community.
Tangem reported that regular Bitcoin holders experienced no disruption from the fork, with the main Bitcoin chain continuing to operate normally.
Fork Parameters
The BIP-110 proposal utilized a 55% mining threshold for activation, notably below the 95% level typically associated with Bitcoin protocol upgrades. The mandatory enforcement window commenced at block 961,632 on August 8.
